The field for the Olympic women’s golf competition will be finalized after this week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
Nelly Korda has long been a lock to represent the U.S. and defend the gold medal she won in Tokyo in 2021.
This year’s tournament, held Aug. 7-10, will be contested at Le Golf National in France, and both the occasion and venue have Korda excited.
“Representing my country and getting to compete in the Olympics is such an incredible opportunity,” she said Tuesday at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. “I’m just super excited to get there and even just to play that golf course. I got to watch it in [2018] Ryder Cup. To be able to play such amazing golf courses like we do nowadays will be such a treat.”
Speaking of treats.
“I have never been to Paris, and the one thing I’m really looking forward to is the croissants probably on every corner,” Korda said. “I love bakeries and baked goods, so that’s one thing I’m really looking forward to.”
Until then, there are a couple of majors on the menu, including this week at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Washington.
Korda won this championship at Atlanta Athletic Club for her first major title in 2021. She claimed major No. 2 earlier this season at the Chevron Championship – one of six victories on the year.
The clear-cut world No. 1, however, is coming off back-to-back missed cuts, first at the U.S. Women’s Open and again at last week’s Meijer LPGA Classic.
Korda views those as the inevitable ebbs.
“I’m going to go through these situations so many times where I feel like I’m playing really well and I’ll go through a little lull where golf is the hardest thing in my life right now,” she said. “So that’s I feel like what grows myself as a person and what makes me appreciate the sport so much and makes me appreciate the wins and the highs and good shots, the crowds out there as well.”
As for this week, at a tight and tree-lined Sahalee, Korda said she still plans on playing aggressively – when warranted. Korda admitted that she doesn’t like to “practice at events,” so she spends her early-week time plotting green lights and yellow lights, knowing full well that, ultimately, she’ll have to adapt to whatever the round presents.
She had to do that a few weeks ago at Lancaster Country Club, where she made a 10 on her third hole of the U.S. Women’s Open. Korda said ahead of the Meijer event that the fight she displayed thereafter – even though she didn’t make the cut – made her more proud than any of her wins in ’24.
Given all she has accomplished, and coming off her two worst results of the season, the spotlight will be bright this week. It’s something she welcomes.
“I feel like pressure is privilege, and that’s something that you’re the only one that can kind of control that. You can listen to the outside voices, but at the end of the day, when you have pressure, you can take it in a positive way that you are doing good and playing well,” Korda said.
“I’m just going to stay in my bubble this week and go out and try to execute my shots, be confident in what I have. This golf course is already hard enough, and if I’m going to put more pressure on myself, then I think it’s just going to make it even harder this week.”
